All Stories: 338

Next to Greenhill Road, there are two tennis courts licensed by the City Council to the Victoria Tennis Club.
Eastwards, another fenced area contains bitumen courts marked out for tennis, netball or handball.
Just to the north of these fenced…

Up until the 1960s, most of the Park Lands were fenced to keep stock inside. To enter a park, you would either have to pass through a gate, or climb through the wire fence.
The fences were sometimes damaged by cows, as they would put their heads…

However, ever since the 1880s, re-vegetation has been attempted in several different periods and still continues.
Firstly, to allow larger species to gain a foothold, smaller wattles were planted for shade and protection – which is what we might…

“UAV” stands for 'unmanned aerial vehicle' – meaning radio-controlled model aircraft and helicopter drones.
This area is one of only two sites in the Adelaide Park Lands where model aircraft are officially permitted. The other site is in…

Some of these groups had been gardening vacant building sites in the neighbourhood. So-called “guerrilla gardeners” had been planting fruit and nut trees in South-eastern city streets. There was also a gardening group based at the Adelaide South…

The earliest recorded use of this Park after European settlement was in the training of volunteer military forces. A well-trained militia was seen as an important asset to the colony.
A rifle range nearly a kilometre long was set up in the 1860s,…

Until 1975, male homosexual acts were was illegal in South Australia, and police often patrolled known beats with the intention to arrest, entrap, or worse.
Even after decriminalisation in 1975, the remaining cultural stigma of homosexuality…

Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue was opened in 1906, severing this Park 21 from its western section across the road, which then became known as Park 21 West.
Sir Lewis Cohen was four times elected as Mayor of Adelaide – in four separate periods – between…

Qingdao was chosen as a sister city because of its similarities to Adelaide and the expected positive impact on trade relations between the two cities. One of China's most popular alcoholic beverages –Tsingtao beer is brewed there, and relies…

Pan was sculptured by well known artist John Dowie. Unfortunately, during its construction, Pan fell and was damaged, forcing Dowie to redo parts of the statue.
John Dowie was also the sculptor of the 'Three Rivers' fountain in Victoria Square…

The hills which host the Adelaide Pavilion, the grottos, and the grove of trees on top were created from 70 000 cubic metres of soil, that was carted from other places within the Park Lands, where excavation works had been undertaken.
Similar…

The sculptures first put there were of a kangaroo, a platypus, a koala, and a quoll.
For these to be made, specimens were borrowed from the South Australian Museum and delivered to the Town Hall. The modeller, Mr Logger, used them to create…

Coincidentally Veale Gardens was built in the same year, 1963. However after the law changed in 1963, it took another ten years for the first wedding to be held here.
That was because the City Council would not permit any part of the Park Lands…

It is a reproduction of one owned by Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish novelist and poet of the late 18th century & early 19th centuries. He is most famous for writing the line “"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" …

This sculpture, named ‘The Couple’, was created in 1962 by Berend van der Struik who had emigrated from the Netherlands five years earlier. It was one of the earliest features installed in the Park.
The sculptor had some back luck with his…

These are River Red Gums, and they are planted at intervals along the edge of Veale Gardens providing shade for the plants and people below.
This species can live as long as one thousand years, though these ones are quite young, having been…

Within a week, Mr Veale had backtracked, insisting the garden was from then on to be known as a rock and water garden.
Water was always going to be a major part in Mr Veale’s vision for the garden. This creek, though artificial, provides home to…

It has an unusual roof – what architects would call “a hyperbolic paraboloid” which means curves made of straight lines. It was chosen so the building would blend in, with its surrounds, in what was supposed to be evocative of an ‘Alpine’…

It's a rectangle - bounded by South Terrace, Greenhill Road, Peacock Road and Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue
Park 21 is 31 hectares in size. This means that in the context of the whole Adelaide Park Lands, it's only about four per cent of the total…

As we come back to our starting point you'll notice a building made of Carey Gully sandstone, just like the kiosk. That's a maintenance shed and electricity substation for the Park.
The Bonython Park kiosk is made of the same sandstone. The kiosk…

This is Australia’s longest hills-to-coast path. It is ideal for families wanting to spend time together walking, riding, running or taking the family dog for some exercise.
This part of the River Torrens Linear Park also forms part of the…

At that point it was named in honour of prominent South Australian politician and journalist Sir John Lavington Bonython, who died in 1960. He was the son of John LANGDON Bonython. Bonython Hall on North Terrace, part of Adelaide University is named…

South Australia was founded as a colony on 28 December 1836 – what we call “Proclamation Day” with a ceremony at Holdfast Bay.
Only a few days later, the first settlement was begun here in Adelaide, and the first site occupied by Europeans was…

J.E. Brown Park is the relatively new name for the area of Park 27 that is on the other side of the River extending across to the Railway line .
Among other things J.E. Brown Park features the Bunyip trail, an activity trail for children. Based…

This area is best known for its long history of entertainment, with visiting circuses having camped at Bonython Park since 1953.
Bullen’s Circus, which was then described as Australia’s largest, was the first circus to camp on this site that…

On the right is a family picnic area with tables, barbecues, tree shade and plenty of open grass not far from the Adventure Playspace.
Further west adjacent to Port Road is a large bitumen car park. In managing the Park Lands, the City Council…

A popular feature of Bonython Park, the pond can be used by children or adults, for sailing model boats, including by remote control. From 7.30am to 1pm on the weekend non-powered model boats take to the water, and after 1pm till sunset it is time…

Here, you will find two art works, one on either side of the path. They were erected in 1997 as part of road reconstruction and widening works for Port Road.
Also here you will see a cast iron marker denoting the edge of the Strangways and…

The South Australian Police Road Safety Centre boasts real traffic lights, give way signs and even roundabouts.
The Centre provides road safety education for schools and community groups Monday to Friday during school terms, but on weekends and…

The Barracks cover 2 hectares of Park 27. Originally they had a kitchen, administration quarters, dormitory, stables, chaff mill, farriery, saddlery, and quarantine shed.
These days, it is used by about 250 employees for mounted operations, dog…